RSPB's Katie Phoenix gives the low-down on last night's brilliant debut #autumnwatch at RSPB Arne!
Finally, after weeks of anticipation, we were so excited to see the famous trio return to our TV screens last night, with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games hosting the first fantastic night of Autumnwatch, live from RSPB Arne!
And the show was just as exciting, weird and wonderful as expected. Bringing to life the secret world of autumn wildlife with everything from shell-shedding spider crabs to spooky screaming sika deer- we were hooked from start to finish.
(Photo 1: Sika deer by Terry Bagley)
As one of the most wildlife rich areas of the UK, RSPB Arne is home to a diverse range of habitats, seasonal bird spectacles, all six native species of reptile and huge variety of mammals and insects. It’s a truly wonderful place to experience this exciting time of year.
(Photo 2: Pale tussock moth caterpillar by Terry Bagley)
Last night’s show saw the return of the amazing mouse maze- with our southern mice showing off their skills and whizzing round the maze in just 8 seconds- and Chris returned to Scotland with the help of expert David Anderson to fit a satellite tag to the beautiful golden eagle chick we watched on the nest during Springwatch (which needs your help finding a name!).
We saw the rare red squirrels of Brownsea Island, badgers, a dolphin carcass and of course many migrating birds such as wigeon, black tailed godwit and avocet.
(Photo 3: RSPB Arne beach by Terr Bagley)
It was an entertaining, colourful and educational evening. We’ve learnt many things from tonight’s show, but we thought we’d share our top 5:
· Sika deer sound a bit like an old, creaking door with their dramatic, spooky high-pitched screams- rather appropriate with Halloween just around the corner!· Every autumn is unpredictable. This year summer is lingering on, and on last night’s show we saw bumblebees, bats and swallows still making appearances.· Michaela Strachan wouldn’t snog a red squirrel of Brownsea Island. But Chris Packham might…· People do crazy amazing things in the name of helping wildlife. What did you think to the expert abseiling down a cliff to get the golden eagle chick?!· Spider crabs are 30% bigger after shedding and leaving their shell. And we witnessed- in the words of Chris Packham- a Bafta winning demonstration of this spectacle using a Russian doll and a very intricately painted sponge (the things those BBC folk get up to!)
Stay tuned for the next four nights of Autumnwatch, promising to be just as captivating and bringing us all the latest beauty, drama and wildlife from this amazing nature reserve and across the country!
(Photo 4: Little egret by Terry Bagley)
Find out more about Terry Bagley's photography, here